Thursdays edged out (From Free Press Series)

Thursdays edged out

Abergavenny Thursdays 2 New Inn 3

A DUBIOUS late goal robbed Thursdays of a deserved point at Pen-y-Pound on Saturday leaving manager Bill Mainwaring wondering just what his side has to do to start picking up the kind of results they so desperately need.

For 85 of the ninety minutes Thursdays had looked at their most ruthless this season.

Doggedly coming back from a goal down - which in Mainwaring's words they wouldn't have done a few months earlier - the Gwent County Division Three side looked odds on favourites to muster at least a point if not all three from the game.

Strikes from Jeremy Fowler and Chris Ryan gave them the lead after Inn had crept in front with a freak corner kick that sailed into the net with a little help from the blustering winds.

The Torfaen side - once managed by Mainwaring - equalised after a frantic goal mouth scramble and stole the lead in red cheek fashion after three of their players had looked off side.

Mainwaring openly admitted he was gutted with the result.

"The scoreline sounds alright for us, but when you consider we were hammering them its hard to swallow," he sighed. "We just couldn't put our chances away, but their winner was clearly off side and when it went in everyone at the ground was disgusted.

"I can not blame them it was out of their hands, but I think they would have been happy with a draw. We on the other hand are devastated."

Mainwaring though was pleased in the way his side clawed their way back into the game - a clear sign the team has turned the corner and is now able to compete even when going a goal down.

"Before we were not capable of doing that. If we conceded a goal we would lose, but this time we competed. Every game we are improving. We just need that goal scorer to take us into the top six. The foundations are there, which is good," he said.

Thursdays face local rivals Govilon this Saturday in a mouth-watering derby match. Manwaring wants at least a point from the game after drawing 2-2 earlier in the season when the teams met last.

"To be fair to them I would settle for a draw, but if we can put our chances away we could win it," he said.

Thursdays kick off at Govilon this Saturday at 2.30pm.